Bashar al-Assad-appointed Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali says gov’t ready to ‘extend its hand’ to opposition, turn its functions over to a transitional government.
The leader of the main armed opposition group in Syria says former Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali will supervise state institutions until they are handed over, as fighters declared an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule.
Opposition forces on Sunday said they had “liberated” the capital, Damascus, in a lightning offensive. They said al-Assad had fled the city. His whereabouts are unknown.
In a statement, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) head Abu Mohammed al-Julani said al-Jalali, appointed prime minister by al-Assad in September, will remain at the helm until the transition.
Signed in his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, al-Julani’s statement banned military forces in Damascus from approaching public bodies and prohibited the firing of guns in the air.
For his part, al-Jalali said his government is ready to hand over power to any leadership chosen by the people.
“I am not leaving and I don’t intend to leave. I expect in a peaceful manner to guarantee the continuity of the public authorities and the institutions and the state apparatus and to guarantee the safety and security for all citizens,” he said in a video statement.
He also said he did not know where al-Assad and his defence minister were, adding that he had lost communication with the president on Saturday night.
Separately, Syrian Communications Minister Eyad al-Khatib, in an interview with Al Arabiya, said he had been contacted by an HTS representative responsible for telecoms services.
They agreed that telecoms and the internet would continue to function, al-Khatib said.
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